Aluminium trade group European Aluminium applauded the European Commission last week for its decision to end the nine-month suspension of anti-dumping duties on aluminium flat-rolled products from producers in the People’s Republic of China.
The EC concluded in an investigation last year that Chinese producers dumped aluminium flat-rolled products on the continent in recent years and determined that duties of between 14 percent and 25 percent should be imposed upon Chinese exporters to make up for the product dumping.
However, the EC chose to suspend imposition of the duties for nine months rather than make duties payable immediately, much to the chagrin of European flat-rolled aluminium producers.
Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium, said in a press release that this is a much-appreciated first step in pushing back against aluminium dumping by Chinese producers.
“We are relieved that our producers finally are protected against the unfair competition from dumped Chinese flat-rolled products. We welcome exporters as long as they play fair. But Chinese exporters refuse to adhere to global trade rules and have been dumping high-carbon and underpriced goods on our market for years, with devastating economic consequences for European aluminium producers and even worse consequences for the fight against global climate change.”
“If the recent crises have taught us anything, it’s that Europe must limit its reliance on imports from non-market economies and strengthen its strategic autonomy in the raw materials sector,” he continued. “This is especially important for aluminium because it’s a key component in virtually all clean energy technologies that are needed to accelerate the green transition and end Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels.”
European Aluminium repeated its call for Europe’s politicians to erect barriers to unfair aluminium trade, asking that a solid industrial strategy that followed the ideals of the European Green Deal be put in place. EA noted that Chinese producers have cornered about 60 percent of the world’s aluminium market at present, largely thanks to subsidies from Beijing.